I would estimate that out of 10 people that work out, at least 5 of them are female. Women, over the years have had a better appreciation of their bodies and health. Fitness has come a long way in understanding how to take care of ourselves. The fitness industry is catering to women’s fitness in a big way, making home gym equipment more user
friendly to women. Where it used to be a man’s world, the gym is now very oriented to female members. And so goes the same for home gym equipment. In my store, a good portion of my customers are female and they want good quality equipment.

Fitness education is expanding with articles like mine written all across the internet. In the past, women were afraid to work out, mainly because they thought that this would lead to enlarged muscles, making them look like a man. Nothing could be further than the truth.

First of all, women don’t produce the amount of testosterone to build large muscles, even when working out. Men produce more testosterone and this is where the difference lies. With that said, women produce estrogen, the female hormone that makes a woman a woman. Most women will have red fiber muscles, which are not prone to enlarging beyond a certain point. As well, the workout performed will dictate the level of growth. This knowledge makes it easier for them to “tone” up without adding bulk and size.

Women want to be shapely without added size. To do this, they must stress the muscles with contractions and expansions,(reps) but do this to get more of a pump of the muscle, rather than strain to muscle failure, when one more rep is impossible. My female students do 12 to 15 reps per set. They take maybe a minute’s rest and do another set for the same reps with  maybe a slight increase in weight. With recovery, the muscles will repair and grow, but not at a level of a man’s recovery. If men want to add a lot of muscle size, they will do sets of 8 reps or under, and add weight every set, usually going to failure. They also take a longer break between sets to allow recovery.

Women have seen over time that shape comes to those that have the patience to stay with it, and that a higher state of health is eminent. They are less sick, have more energy, fit clothes better, eat better, and best of all, they age better….don’t we all wish the same!!

Once a woman has decided to work out for physical and health gains, she needs to set a mandate, or goal. If fat loss is the goal, I recommend a cardio machine, such as a treadmill, elliptical, or a bike. They will up the heart rate, at a level to use fat as the energy source. First thing in the morning when blood sugar is low, or about 3.5 hours
after the last meal will guaranty that fat will be used for energy. Your heart rate should reach no higher that about 120 to 135 bpm.

Ok, so why work out with weight resistance exercises? Simple…A bigger motor will burn more gas while idling, so does a body with denser muscles.

One myth is that muscle burns fat. It doesn’t. But what it does is increase the metabolic rate of the body and more blood sugar is needed for daily activities, even at rest. So there is less chance for sugar levels to rise when eating carbohydrates where insulin is secreted and sugar is sent to fat cells for storage. Some of this sugar (glucose) is
sent to the liver as glycogen, and any excess is sent to fat cells. A fit and muscular body slows down this storage process big time. This is why women should follow a weight resistant exercise program, four times a
week working the four major groups of muscles:

1)chest and triceps

2)legs

3)back and biceps

4) shoulders.

Most can accomplish a workout in less than an hour, including warm ups with crunches and leg raises for the abs, and 4 minutes with light dumbbells to get oxygen in the muscles cells that will be worked. Do not do cardio as it’s not a
good warm up. Half an hour on a treadmill will not send oxygen to the shoulders if that’s what you’re working on that day. Dumbbells work will.

Also, cardio uses valuable glucose that is needed in the muscle cells as glycogen for muscle contractions. Once a weight workout is done, glucose and glycogen levels are low… perfect time to do cardio to burn fat. The body will be thermogenic in about 7 minutes and burn fat as an energy source, as long as the heart rate is under 135 bpm.

After the workout, and a good shower to lose the pump, the body needs to replenish glycogen reserves in the liver and muscle cells, and a proper level of glucose in the blood. This is done with a protein and maltodextrine shake. Maltodextrine is a starchy carb that gets digested very evenly and helps to replenish the energy used for the workout. It will NOT go to fat as most people think. If you don’t replace the sugar levels after the weight workout, muscle will break down to do it for you. We don’t want that.

There is a great little gym that we sell, called EUROSPORT 200i. It’s perfect for most women as it’s smooth, only has a 160 lb stack, and doesn’t take too much room.

Another good gym we carry is the EUROSPORT 207i. It has a 200 lbs stack, this time includes a leg press.
A treadmill, elliptical or bike make a great combination package that will allow a weight resistance program match a cardio program. At 1.5 hours per session, 4 times a week, any woman can look her best and be in shape both physically as well as healthy.

Have a great workout!!